Housing plan prompts village road safety fears

Plans for a new housing development on the edge of a village should be thrown out due to road safety concerns, residents have said.

Villagers have urged North Yorkshire Council to reject proposals for at least nine houses on the edge of Finghall, between Leyburn and Bedale.

More than 40 people have objected to the outline planning application for the development in a field off Blewhouse Lane, saying the scheme would make the village more dangerous for road users and pedestrians.

A supporting document filed with the plans stated: "The proposed development can be accessed safely, with no harm to highway or pedestrian safety."

It added that it would "not have a harmful impact on the visual amenity of the area or the wider landscape, due to it being a sensitively designed housing scheme which is in keeping with the surroundings and with ample space for structural and incidental landscaping".

However, one objector said there were no footpaths anywhere in Finghall.

"Pedestrians must walk along the narrow road and step onto private drives when a vehicle drives along Blewhouse Lane," they added.

Another said: "I just think it would make our lane more dangerous than it is already because when you meet another four-wheeled vehicle coming the other way, there isn't room to pass."

An application for three houses on the field was approved in 2019 with two having since been built, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The application is expected to be dealt with by councillors on the Richmond area planning committee in coming weeks.

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